Have been using the Warmbac Warmtex knee pads for the last year and they are now wearing out.
Although the price is high, the cost of knee damage is much higher.

On a recent trip to La Palma, the local Lava Tube cavers use Skateboard kneepads because of the high rock abrasiveness. They do not have to put up with water immersion.
We tried industrial gel kneepads and although very comfy, they have a tendency to twist round or get knocked off the patella because of their huge size which negates their purpose.

Given the amount of wet cobble crawling in Far Country and Far Waters that I am doing, I am looking for other options instead of the Warmtex.

Considering a pair of 'Tactical Knee Pads' with a gel backed hard front.
Two pairs cost the same as one pair of Warmtex so I could afford to trash a pair every 6months instead of the one year life of the Warmtex.

Any experience of the above or other suggestions ?

Kevin,

I use a pair of Beaver neoprene knee pads that I wear under my oversuit. No snagging issues and they keep my knees warm. I use them for snowboarding when I'm kneeling down waiting for the skiers to catch up as well as aven climbing where your knees are always up against a wall. I've had my current pair for nearly 6 years and they are just as good as new. I've not noticed any significant damage to my oversuit but it depends where you do your crawling. I try to avoid it as much as possible.

Mark

I've been using a pair of these for a couple of years now, and they served me well riding DH mountain bikes since i bought them in the alps in 2008, just thinking of changing them now, theyre mostly neoprene, well ventilated and drain well, and they have a proper hard knee cap:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/661-rage-knee-guards-2014/rp-prod113560?gs=1&gclid=CIHzmYSpssQCFRHHtAod6zkAOA&gclsrc=aw.ds

For crawly trips without ladders I like 'Nailers K2 Foam' but the latest pair I bought had two elastic straps, rather than one elastic and one webbing.

If you can find a pair with the latter arrangement, I would go for those, though they don't last a very long time. (Though they might be similar to the gel ones you mention.)

For SRT trips with a small amount of crawling, or ladder trips, I use a pair I bought from Inglesport, that have velcro straps. They've lasted well but they don't offer enough protection for anything more than a couple of minutes of crawling. I have wondered whether two pairs of these would be better than the Nailers type, which do get caught on things and twist and turn a bit.

My crawling comfort has been improved no-end by adding neoprene pads to the inside of my warmbac undersuit in addition to the warmbac pads I normally wear. Its still not as good as the hard face nailers I once tried but I just hated the way they moved around so much.

My previous pair of beaver knee pads were far superior to my current Warmbac Kevlar pair. These just don't stay in place.

I've got similar knee and elbow pads as Wormy from the biking world. Even though mine have less neoprene and are potentially better ventilated, the main thing still is the hard plastic cap inside, which makes them extremely comfy. They usually go in underneath the undersuit, and a set of standard Warmbac pads goes on the outside to protect the oversuit. If it's not a crawly cave, I'll occasionally leave the inner layer behind.

I'm not sure which Beavers the others here are using but I have had these, and I have been satisfied: http://www.berniescafe.co.uk/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=knee+pads&x=0&y=0

They are soft enough, and they also have a very good grip when climbing and using your knees. They are also adjustable but unfortunately the adjusting velcro is too short, and the straps are too long for me as they are. They don't seem to be as durable as the Warmbacs either but in my opinion they are much more comfortable and not as slippery, and their price is affordable which makes me choose them.

does anyone know a handy stockist of nailers after screw fix stopped stocking them ?

Do you not fancy coal miners pads?

Why has no-one mentioned garden centres? most do quite a range of pads for gardeners kneeling to weed, the wife seems more than content with them, and they do bear a modern resemblence to the old miners pads. (she does all the gardening )